The brilliant "Emirates Constellation" by Emirates NBD

Straight from the mind of Tahaab Rais from FP7 McCann MENAT who gave us Ramadan Spirit, Stories from Mecca, a dad's job, and Stuck among other jewels, comes a new insta-classic... The Emirates Constellation... An Emirates National Day without boring song and dance? You better believe it... So the UAE is a country that has shaped its way to the top, with nothing but ambition and determination along the way. So, on UAE’s 50th National Day, Emirates NBD celebrates the country, its leadership, its people, and its future, in a way that suits this great nation. "Today, we raise the nation brand of the Emirates to where it deserves to be - among the stars." So says the nicely written text to go along the idea.... And well, now that it's out there, as the French say "il fallait y penser" (one simply had to think about it!).... See the ad here.

Emirates NBD "Women's Talk" - a superb concept let down by cliche

Well, sometimes you want to root for an ad only to discover it falls below expectations. On paper everything works: Superb concept (which turns the derogative "women's talk" into a positive spin), incredible production, lovely execution. But when you put everything together, you end up with a repetitive images of things already seen everywhere else. Which is a pity. Because this could have been material for a great poster/print campaign, perhaps making it into a film is what makes it redundant and - bah - deja vu.

Still, all is not lost. As I said, for Emirates NBD to transform a negative cliché into something good and empowering is something truly worthwhile and commendable. If only they strayed a little from the beaten path in the execution. See the ad here.

Emirates NDB - the wise ones indeed.

Now that we established that banks are not the favorite institutions according to the Lebanese.... It seems the Emiratis have a totally different perspective about them there. 48% of people said they had no issue sharing their data with banks as long as they use them ethically. Well, good for them because it seems Emirates NBD, one of the leading banks in the region wanted to pamper those who put their trust in them! In an incredible association of data and creativity (praise goes to the concept, data, more than the creativity truth be told), an ad (which was shot in 12 hours owing to COVID restrictions!) shows "the others" (annoying truth be told, but I am sure it was meant to be so!), and "the wise ones" - they know where they put there money, and they know how to take advantage of what the bank has to offer with other institutions (free hotel rooms, great shopping deals, sending money across borders without a charge and the list continues...). 

Sometimes ads benefit from COVID restrictions (like the mighty Stories of Mecca!), sometimes a bit less so (as the current case of the Emirates NBD ad). But still, as I said, when it comes to combining data with storytelling is the ad's strength (maybe the casting or direction though could have benefited from a second opinion!)...

Still, that granny on Tiktok is something to behold!